Do i know what I'm doing?.... Not really

Build me up

2006-06-22T18:41:00.000+09:30

In the last couple of days htere has been some reshuffling with peoples jobs. The trickle down effect of this was me being asked, if on short notice, would I be willing to utilize my passport and spend 2 months replacing a position that might become avaliable.
Titty fuckin yeah!
Then the small doubts started to creep in, leaving me now in the position of pretty much accepting that the offer is no longer on the table. In a time of pretty low personal morale, this intially lifted me up quite a bit, but that seems to have disappeared as quickly as it came.
I hate it when I let myself be built up, only to be squashed really quickly. It's happened so many times before, and I haven't really learned from previous disappointments how to deal with it properly.
I've told many a person, as a joke, that they should lower their expectations, that way you don't get disappointed.... maybe I should start doing that myself, or maybe not. Disappointment builds character, at least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

My First Nudes

2006-05-27T18:12:00.000+09:30

Last night I didn't get a lot of sleep. I think it was because I was pretty nervous about the Naked in the Houe shoot. I wasn't sure if I was ready, I didn't know if I'd atually bve able to create 12 images in the 30 minutes, and I just wasn't really sure how I'd cope working under pressure with someone I've never met and they were going to be naked. The age old saying of if you're nervous infront of a crowd, just imagine them naked and it should be alright. Well, I didn't have to imagine it, Kylie was naked.

In the end, I was really comfortable doing the shoot with her. She was really nice, friendly and a general pleasure to deal with, and I kind of forgot that she was naked, until she shivered a bit because of the cold. I didn't reach the twelve shot target. I spent a bit of time posing and setting the shots, and metering to get the look I wanted in my head, and the minutes passed really quick, and on my ninth shot the call of 'time' was made, and that was it, I was done.
It didn't really bother me that I didn't get to twelve. We are to submit three shots for the competition for judging, so I have nine to choose from, and they are all different. Now the only hard part is which three do I pick?

One thing that really interests me is what did all the other guys do? I'm really keen to see the variations and different approaches we took, with the same model and same location. We submit for judging in a couple of weeks, so I guess I'll know then.

It's winter

2006-05-23T22:33:00.000+09:30

Just want to note tonight that it's fucking cold.

I think winter is starting today.

Piggy Back Danger

2006-05-22T08:26:00.000+09:30

Ladies, don't let someone give you a piggy back if they are drunk. Especially through the streets os Surfers because if it goes all wrong, there will be crowds to witness it.

I was down the coast working on the weekend, and on Saturday night, a group of us headed out. While walking, Aaron offered Hannah a piggy back. Since there was two guys fighting for her attention, this seemed a sure fire way to get her alone and have some fun. Aaron starts charging down the street, Hannah on back, trying to dodge the crowd. Someone under the heavy influence of alcomohol can only keep this athletic prowessness up for so long, and as I had already envisioned in my head, Aaron trips on his own feet, and they both head for the not so soft paved landing.

Hannah rolls overv after a second and is laughing her guts out. Aaron was not finding the situation as funny. He had used his head as an implement to break his fall. A group of people walked passed and were also throughly entertained by the show put on, but strangely enough, didn't even ask if they were ok.

This whole situation was great for Josh because he was also after a bit of Hannah's attention, but now that Aaron had dropped her like a sack of beans, she wasn't so keen on persuing that one anymore. We got to Melba's, had a few drinks, Bec and I cut up the floor with some dodgee dancing while Josh worked on Hannah, but I think she was kind of over the night, so we left the boys there, and headed back to the Marriott to call it a night.

Ouch My Ears!

2006-05-19T08:59:00.000+09:30

On Tuesday night I was a roadie for a day with Kurt. It was to help out Shakey, or a friend of Shakeys, but it meant that we were going to see a gig for free, aswell as getting paid for the day.
Normally you'd be kind of enthusiastic about getting to see a band for free, but after sound check, it was obvious that the night was going to be reduced to nothing more than a cluster fuck of black tee-shirted masses, witnessing a wank off on stage.
There's not much more pathetic than a keyboard player with all the nice gear, to then initiate the Casio demo settings and then jump around like he was trying to resurrect the pants of David Lee Roth or Eddie Van Halen, whose jumping antics were left back in the late eighties.
I listened to the first song from side of stage. It was hard to pick any differences between songs, they all went at a million miles an hour, all had the same drum fills, all had the same not so dramatic pauses, and to me it sounded like thrash metal church music.
The remaining time was spent in a room out back trying to escape the noise, and counting down the minutes till it was over so we could pack up and go home.
Kurt loved it though, as much as he loves Ben Lee, and Celene Dion. Both of those would have been more bareable.

The Return trip

2006-05-15T22:22:00.000+09:30

Yesterday I rode from home to UQ and back. Roughly about 65Km.

I'm pretty sure that's the most I've done to date, so in someway I guess thats an achievement worth noting. I know it's not huge by any standards, but it will only grow from here onwards. I might invest in a bike computer/trip meter thingy so that I can keep better track of exactly how much I'm riding in a week.
I rode in mid morning, and the return trip was in the dark. On the way back I think I pulled a muscle in my back, so the speed was reduced, and a few stops to stretch it out was needed.
I just need to remember that it's not as strong as it used to be.

Go Naked!

2006-05-11T20:59:00.000+09:30

Well not quite.

The Naked in the House competition has been set for the 27th of May.
I'm a little nervous, as this will be the first time photographing a nude model. I've drawn plenty of nude models in the past, but this is a bit different. The pressure will be on the be able to pose the model, find natural lighting that is good, and be able to get the shots right without any trial and error.
I've been doing research and collecting photos that I like, and also photos that I think are along my style and taste. It's more for the pose knowledge. The model will only do what us photographers instruct her to do, so if we can't think of anything, we'll come out with nothing.
To make things a little more nerve racking, I will be the first off in the morning. YAY. I don't mind actually, it gives me a chance to impress early and have some fun with it before other photographers potentially make her grumpy.

The days are counting down.

Book?

2006-05-11T11:03:00.000+09:30

Thinking about how the world trip is planning on happening, which is by bike from Thailand to Uk, also has me thinking about documenting the whole thing. Kurt and I want to film stages, what we do with it I'm still not too sure. Maybe a mini documentary.
I'm also, and have always been keen on the idea of photographing the crap out of the trip in the expectation of producing a book. It will be a book of photographs from the places we pass through, the people we meet, food we eat, dangers encountered, cultural events, the way different people live.
It's nothing new or ground breaking, but since the world is always changing, new pictures always seem to find a market.
If a dairy is kept during the trip, this could also be part of the book. I have an idea on a way to intergrate the dairy and photos layout wise. It could almost turn into a journey novel with pictures, but in a coffee table style book. I'll let these ideas stew in my head and see if I can develop them further.

Random Motivation

2006-05-02T21:22:00.000+09:30

At about 1330 today, a random thought popped into my skull saying, "You should ride over to Kurts". He'll be home working on the car, so I can check out the progress.
From Bracken Ridge to Paddo, for me, is a long way. Regardless, I put on my shorts, shoes, grabbed the helmet and bike before I thought about it anymore, which would have most likely resulted in me changing my mind.
I'm always a bit slow to warm up, and today was no exception. It would have taken me about 20 minutes before I was at a comfortable pace.
I headed along Linkfield road past bunning, and along the new section of road that joins up with South Pine Road. I chose this way, as there is bike lanes a lot of the way, traffic is less hectic, and there are nice gradual hills as a challenge.
I olny got off the bike a couple of time to walk, but most of them were to cross roads or walk up stairs. I was quite impressed with myself and how I handled all the ups and downs of this route.
When I arrived at Kurts, I wasn't really that tired, nowhere near as much as I was expecting anyway. I didn't hurt, I didn't cramp, and best off all, I didn't crash.
The trip home was a little easier, riding into the city, and jumping a train to Bald Hills. I'll do the full return trip another day.

Round the world on a piece of paper

2006-04-26T19:42:00.000+09:30

This morning I was meant to work, but that didn't happen.

Instead I started to think about travelling, and what route could possibly work, bearing in mind that I want to do a lot of the world, but not everything is easily doable.
I found a map on the net, printed it out, put a pen on Brisbane, and started to draw out a potential route.

I'm not all that keen on a set plan, meaning, go here and stay 7 days, then go there and stay 8 days, catch a flight on x date to go to y destination. There will be some element of structure to it, but overall it will be a little impromptu. What is pretty sure to happen is Asia will be first on the list, and europe with be at the tail end.

Ideas will change, things will be added to, but my map with a squiggly line making it's way around the globe is a start.

Ouch!

2006-04-25T22:39:00.000+09:30

Yesterday I went with Kurt and did a bit of a ride at Gap Creek.

I struggled because of lack of fitness, since I hadn't rode in a long time, but got a bit better after warming up a bit.
There was one section that I was told no-one had made it down without bailing out, so I was pretty sure I could do it.

Need I say more?

The Toronto Challenge

2006-04-21T18:28:00.000+09:30

While on the subject of nudeness, twelve photographers are taking part in a little competition soon to photograph a nude model with just 30 minutes to create art.

The idea was from a Toronto comp called 'Naked in the House', and the overview of this comp is that there are 12 photographers who each can only use 1 camera, 1 roll of film, 1 lens, a model and a location that we have no previous knowledge of until the day. We are given 30 minutes to create 12 pictures, so there is a bit of pressure to get the creative juices flowing, and quickly!

I think it will be awesome fun, and given that we all have the same model and location, to see what different concepts we all develop will be interesting.

It's only natural

2006-04-19T22:27:00.000+09:30

Tonight, Mo somehow came to the conclusion that I'd like to See B nude. He sort of just made it up in his usual, make shit up as you go, way.

My response was, "I'd like to see any girl nude. Put it this way, they'd have to be pretty wrong for me to NOT want to see them nude. I appreciate the opportunity to judge."

I think most of us males think this way, whether we admit to it or not.

A Different ride

2006-04-19T17:21:00.000+09:30

Well the easter holidays didn't see me any choccolate eggs, or bunnys, or bilbys. It had the potential to be a very boring time as Koala had gone to Bali with Man-whore, Kurt was down in Byron, Ads and Anna were away on a farm or some shit, Flynnie was doing the family thing up at 'Barge Ally', and Shell was heading up the coast.
The offer to go up to Mooloolaba came in... Woo Hoo! I'm not a total reject anymore, and take Shell up on the offer. As part of the plan, I got Flynnies BMW R1200GS for a few days. With a knee operation, he wasn't going to be riding it. Yay for me and my good knees.

I pick the bike up Friday morning, and what do I do? I touch the exhaust headders and burn my finger. Why did I touch it? Coz I'm an Idiot, plain and simple. After swearing and resisting the urge to kick the fuck out of the bike (after all, it wasn't it's fault that i'm a moron) I set off to meet Shell at a servo, fill up on fuel, get air, and head up the coast.
The traffic wasn't too bad, considering it was the first day of holidays. Approaching roadworks slowed things up a bit, but being on motorbikes, we did what every car driver hates, and ducked down the side until the traffic picked up the pace again.
The big 1200 has quite a rumble to it when on the move, a rumble that after time numbs the bum. I rode standing up for a few minutes to get the blood going again, and this got a few funny looks. At one stage, a lady merged into my lane while I was right next to her. I backed off to let her in, because it was quite obvious that she had no idea that I was there. Beeping the horn may have only startled her, and causing her to panic. I waited till she was back in the left lane, and rode up beside her to give her the "look before you change lanes" hand signal. She seemd genuinely sorry, so I left it at that.

Mooloolaba was a frenzy of activity. The beach was mass of bikini clad bodies. Some good, some not so good, but they were all there to share the suns rays, and great swiming cconditions. There was frizbies, scoccer balls, beach balls... it was all happening.
We dumped our clothes in the room, and headed up to Noosa, where Rene was staying. I kept losing Shell through the roundabouts, as she's not that confident in leaning the bike over, but she managed to catch up.
Noosa was ok, typical Hastings St shitfight. I really don't see the attraction, but many people flock to it.

The next morning was beach time. The weather was perfect, the waves were perfect, the water wasn't too cold, and that pretty much set the scene for the rest of the stay. Beach... eat... beach... eat... beach... drinks... eat, sleep, and so on.
We went for a ride up to Montville on Easter Sunday. That was a nice ride too, and not too hard for Shell. She still couldn't keep up through the curvy bits, even though I wasn't really going that quick, considering there was double demerit points for the holidays. Once there, we had something to drink, and I had a couple os scones with jam, and cream... yum! It was pretty busy, so we didn't hang round for long, making our exit to the north towads Nambour. This part of the road was nice and twisty, and good fun. I lost Shell again, but I wanted to have a bit of fun, so I didn't slow down, but rather stopped and waited for her at the bottom. She was a good 5 minutes behind, but atleast she didn't crash.

When we got back, the skies were getting a little overcast, so a movie in the room seemed in order. After a quick bite to eat, and possible rain heading our way, we decide to make a move back to Brissie.
Traffic was heavy, so we shot up the side again, and did that for almost 50 percent of the trip.

Easter Monday I spent on my own. I went for a ride over Glorious, out to Summerset Dam, back over Glorious and through Nebo. I'd forgotten how much fun riding was, even if it was on a slow old mans bike.

Next mission.... get my own bike again!

Waiting..... waiting

2006-04-12T19:25:00.000+09:30

So how to you get a photographer to stay out in the bush to snap almost every single person in an adventure race? If you are his friends, come last.

It wasn't that bad, atleast I didn't have to cover 200km on road to follow the race - like in the Epic.
After picking Ben Lee up in the morning, and Ben was running late, we headed out to the race HQ, where they were given time to plan a route to CPs and all that. The start was funny, not haha funny, but confusing. I don't think that Ben and Jane realized that once Tam ran past the gate, they were to follow. I went up informing them that Tam had passed, but they thought that they still had to wait for some official start.

Anyway, once they were off, and everyone had started, I could get in the van and go to the kayak point and wait there for a shot. It didn't really take all that long before the first few teams started hitting the water, attempting to steer their kayaks in a straight line done the creek. It looked like many hadn't really kayaked before, and their inability to go straight was a source of amusement for us taking photos, and a dude from sevens Coast 2 Creek, who was filming some footage.

Yeehaa, I got the photo I had been waiting for, so off to the forest section where they would be MTBing through.
Once in the forest section, I found a spot where teams both go in and return from a loop, so that was a op to shoot people twice if I wanted. I hadn't really prepaired very well, only knowing about the event a day before, so I was a bit light on batteries for flash. I was getting hungry now. No breakfast, and it was about 11:30.
Teams rolled through, and those climbing out of the loop looked less than impressed with whatever had been in there. "Fucking hill...... fuck....ing....hills!.'" This was a sentiment shared by most. The first few being a challenge, but then they became annoying. I was getting more hungry, that was annoying.

About 1420 I get bailed up by a ramdon talker walking through the forest. Holly shit! I couldn't shut the muthafukka up, and as that was happening, the three i've been waiting for come through, and I wasn't ready for it. He kept talking....."and my brother wife, Cathy, I don't think she likes me that much... bla bla bla." Dude, I don't give a shit, and I gotta go.

I started walking back towards the road, as 1500 was approaching, and that was meant to be the cut off time for the event. Louise, who I met a bit later on, was manning the gate, and I could hear her giving reports back as to how many teams were still in the forest. It eventually was just one team remaining. I'd past being hungry, and I hadn't had anything to drink. Normally I'd be wearing my Camelbak, but I gave that to Ben Lee as it has more carrying space. They finally came out of the forest. It was about 1610 or something, an hour over time, and they still had to return to HQ. I think that part of the journey only took about 10 minutes.

Once back, everyone was gone, apart from a few packing down, and Steven who was waiting for Tam. There were left over snags from the BBQ that happened, and I ate 3. I downed a couple bottles of water, a poweraide, and some chocolate that Tam had... yummy. I was pretty knackered by the end of the day. I had only 3 hours sleep the night before because of MotoGP, and was ready to call it a day.

Thats a photographers race report :)

Gary the stunt dick!

2006-04-08T20:16:00.000+09:30

A friend, (whom shall remain nameless) had lisded himself on a bit of a raunchy, saucy dating site on the net.
After sending off a handfull of messages to prosective ladies, he was somewhat deflated by the lack of replies. One reply did come through, asking for some photos, and saying that they could be a bit naughty if he so wished.
Scanning an old photo of himself (so he looks younger) and thinking about the naughty component, he decided to scan a bit from a porn mag. A mans bit.

After submitting the images, the next day he receives an email in German from the web site. Thinking that the owner of the "bit" had busted him, he assumed the worst. Were they gonna hunt him down for being an imposter, was he going to be fines for breach of copyright? It turns out none were the case, as a simple online translation shows that it was mearly a confirmation of his uploaded photos, and that they had been accepted. Phew!

Anyway, now that his penis impersonator was now on show for all to check out, bring on the replies from all the ladies right!? Not quite. His first email went along the lines of, "mate I know you're straight, but............ *censored*" LOL! his first contact was from some bloke wanting to suck off his Gary! Gary is it's adopted name now, given to it by myself and another friend. Think Team America, and Gary the greatest actor in the world.

He provided the world with a stunt dick, and it's acting was so good, it pulled a bloke.

Where the F@#k am I?

2006-03-27T01:24:00.000+09:30

Maybe it should read more like "where the fuck have I been!"

The first part of this year has been pretty shit to say the least. Still recovering form a back injury that I got last december, it has had me in a pretty down mood. There were times that the pain was so bad, and thinking that I might stay like this for ever, death didn't seem that bad an option. Not that I would ever do that, but the idea of instant pain relief seemed so good at the time.
One big problem when your body stops, apart from the obvious, is that the rest of the world doesn't. Bills keep rolling in but the income wasn't. Bad part of being a freelancer. It started to get better by end of Jan, and I worked, only to aggravate it to a point where it was worse than when I first injured it.

I was down in Sydney last December just before I did my back, (actually this was where it started) and caught up with a cousin that I hadn't seen in years because she lived in Adelaide. Her husband was shot almost 2 years ago in the Philipines leaving her and two kids. The fucked up part of the story is that his family are trying to pin the responsability on her, claiming she organized his death to collect life insurance. What they really want is custody of the kids. A week after me leaving Sydney, she was taken into custody, returned to Adelaide, and kept in a womens prison. She has since been released, but is still under house arrest in Adelaide. Chrismas wasn't exactly the joyful occasion that it was meant to be in 05. This is to continue for some time to come.

I'm mobile again, but definately not at full strength. I get very jealous when I see people running and cycling now, especially after today. I was up at Mooloolaba on saturday for a friends wedding, and on sunday morning there was a tri going on just outside the hotel we were staying in. I made a promise to myself to train and get fit, as I'm sure that my lack of fitness is to blame for my recovery taking so long.

Now where did I leave my bike helmet???

Herbie O'Rourke

2005-12-21T21:37:00.000+09:30

I haven't blogged in a very long time, and I don't even have a valid excuse for it either.

None the less, today was a work fishing trip! I hadn't been fishing for a very long time, so long I can't recall when and where it was. I have also never been deep sea fishing. This is what we did today.

0330: wake up, moan, curse everybody, have shower and head in to meet everyone else. I was the first on the scene, which means I could have slept in for another 30 min. Once we were all there, it was on the bus, crack open the first beer and off to Kawana we went. There is something so wrong with having a beer for breakfast at 0500 when it's not even after a big night.
Stopping to pick someone up on the way, presented the perfect opportunity to get a real breakfast. Toasted chicken & cheese, a crumbed sausage and an Ice coffee. This would all come back to haunt me later in the morning.

Arriving at Kawana, we loaded drinks & food on the boat, got a safety brief from the skipper, and wasted no time in heading out. More beer. We were heading out about 22 miles, and when getting there, it was far enough that we couldn't see land in any direction.

I'd never been sea sick before, but I was getting the feeling that my first experience was upon me. I sat down, looked at the horizon, and this seemed to help. A bucket of chopped up pilchards went past my face, and that was it. Herbie O'Rourke. Head over the side and watching my non conforming breakfast hit the water. Everyone cheers "Ando!..Ando!" Fuck you all. Round two, and it was huge. I couldn't believe that there was so much stuff inside me. I unleashed fury. I actually started to feel 100% better, even as I was still unloading over the side of the boat. Once that was over, I was good as gold. Once it looked like I had passed everything that i could, LB gave me a sea sickness tablet. I since learnt that as I was head over the side, painting the sea with trifel, LB was on the other side doing the same. His apparently sounded more painfull, and involved more coughing, but I can't recall hearing any of it.

10:00 I finally drop a line in the water. I wait..........and wait........and wait. Bite. I reel the little F&*#er in, and there are two on the line. I'm excited, the first catch. Both were under size, so wish 'em well and throw 'em back. That was to be the final count of my day. I never got another bite for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile on the port side of the boat, Ralph and Timmy are pulling them out of the water like it was a mass rescue mission! What the hell was going on??? I copied their bait. Nothing. I dropped the hooks to the same depth as them. Nothing. I even stole their spot. Nothing. We hated them.

This continued for several hours without really changing. I didn't mind not catching anything, I was just happy to be feeling normal again.

As the day drew to a close, I just wanted to sleep, and the trip back to Brissie was a good chance for that. No more beer, just sleep.

I fall over a lot!

2005-10-04T23:13:00.001+09:30

My brain still has a bit to learn when it comes to shoes with cleats.
I think I've managed to fall over EVERY time I've been for a ride in the last couple of weeks. It wouldn't be so bad if i was fanging down a single track, or trying to jump a log, but no..... I fall over when virtually coming to a stop. Todays was at Kangaroo Point, and I had an audience to go with it.
My first attempt at the Daisy Hill ride was a bit crap. I was struggling, and the climbs aren't all that big. My next attempt the following day was better. Slow on the up hills, but I made most of them. The ones that I walked were more to the fact that I can't step into my pedals if I have to restart going up hill. I'm sure I probably could if i tried, but right now it's a good excuse to have a walk.
Last night I had to completely redo the gallery for the Epic photos

Somehow all the files were no longer being recognised by the server, or some bullshit. In short, all the work i'd put in over the last 3 weeks went down the drain in one night. I wiped everything and started again, and was at it until 4am this morning. I felt pretty drained and defeated by the end if it.

I learned yesterday that someone passed away from cancer. I didn't know Carly all that well, we only met a couple of times, but I know that she's left a lot of people behind that are going to miss her like crazy.
On a better note, I recieved an email only a couple of hours ago from my mate Laymon, who owns a restaurant at Jimbaran Bay in Bali. His place is only a few doors down from the ones that got bombed a few days ago, and is also the place we go every time we are over there. I sort of had an idea he was ok, going by the photos in the news, the chairs on the beach were different, but it's good to have it confirmed. I'll still go back.

I may go for a ride tomorrow arvo, which means that I'll also have a gumby sack too.

An Epic day

2005-09-06T23:48:00.000+09:30

Sunday was an Epic day for all involved. I admire every person that finished or even attempted the race.
I had my camelback, but forgot the bladder at home. I am a tool.
Pictures will start to pop up soon.The weekend is the first real opportunity i'll have to do something about them. So in that time I gotta sort lots and lots of pics out, and learn how to build a web site too. Yay for me!

Back Home

2005-08-22T15:18:00.000+09:30

Got Back from Bali yesterday, and I gotta say that I easily could have stayed on for a lot longer. When we arrived, we boarded a bus, a group of ten went, and headed up the esat coast to a place called Candidasa, or just Candi for short. It used to take over 3 hours via car to get there, and the road was less than flash, so it wasn't really a popular destination for travellers. A new road has been completed and it now only takes about an hour and a half, and it's a bitumen road. I'm glad we went here because it is beautiful, quite and on the water. There's not much of a beach to speak of because it's in volcanic country, so the beach is really only black volcanic rock and pebbles. But it is so laid back it was the perfect start to a holiday. Pool bars, massages and a bit of sight seeing. A few were conferencing on the first full day there, so Brett and I went and checked out a few hotels. There is some pretty cool places for US$12 a night. Thats cheap. Driving around, we spotted a bar called Legends and there was a sign that said there was live music that night. We were in, and because it looked like the only bar in the area. And what a cracker it turned out to be. The band was a Indo band that couldn't speak english, but knew all the words to Gunners Sweet Child, and Led Zeps Black Dog. They rocked! There was only us, and handful of Swedes and Germans in the bar, and the rest were locals. It was established that they dont know how to make coccktails, but us boys were on bintang anyway, so we didn't care. Paul, an Irish fella got up and sang U2 with the band, but kept mixing up verses and choruses and totally confusing the boys in the band. They got through it regardless and it was very funny. Paul thought that to make up for not knowing the words, he'd take off his shirt..... not sure how that was meant to help though. Julianne is one of the more "gifted" girls I know. Racked and stacked you might say, and when she dances there's a whole lot of boogee going on. All the local boys were wanting to dance with her, and they were in a total trace. The orbs of wonder had them hypnotized.
The next day was interesting to say the least. Breakfast, get on bus and headded to a submarine that takes people to check out the reef. The life vests we wore from the boat to the sub were stolen, i'm sure of it, from the set of Miami Vice. I picked a nice bright pink and green number.
Once on the sub, with a Japanese group also aboard, we moved out a bit, and began decent procedures. There was a warning beep and the pilot was saying "problem problem" (pronounced 'pob-lem'). Don't know about them, but I rekon the problem may have something to do with the fact that the HATCH was still open! Hatch closed, we went down, and it was quite cool to be on a sub. Not good for people who are clostrophobic or afraid af dying on the bottom of the ocean, but I thought it was cool. We approached the reef, and for those of us that have snorkled or dived the Barrier Reef, you will be completely underwhelmed. There were lots of colourful fish though, and a couple of rare species of scuba divers feeding them. A nice touch i thought, because it turned the attention from the near dead coral to the fish feeding frenzy.
That done, we went up to Tirta Gangga. About 20-30 minutes further north, and some of the scenery we passed was just awesome. There's a big temple or resting place for the God spirits and it over looks the mountains right down to the ocean. There are bathing pool there, but we didn't really have time to go for a swim. Maybe next time back.
Going from Candi to Kuta, we took a boat. It was a $3 mill catamaran. This was good, even though the sea was a bit rough to start with because of a combo of tide and full moon, but once out in open waters, it was excellent. Because of low tide, we had to get ferried out to the yacht by a small motor boat. There was a bit of bouncing off rocks and reef and at one stage, looked like we were going to go under. A couple of the group aren't that confident with being on a boat, so the banging on rocks didn't really help ease their fears. Atleast if the boat did sink, we were only in waist deep water anyway.
The last night we spent in Kuta. It's a tourist shit fight, and I'm not really a fan. DVD shopping makes up for it though, and I picked up 50 DVDs for about $40.
I'll be heading back on an officail photo trip soonish to do a heap of brochure shots. I'll be on my own, so I can do what I want and take my time. Free accom in plush resorts is also a nice thing, and just part of the perks of the job.

I may never leave the house again

2005-08-09T09:45:00.000+09:30

If there was ever to be a hinderence that would prevent me from getting out and enjoying what the great outdoors has to offer, I may have found it. It's by no means a new discovery, but it is new to me. PS2 & GT4. I bought one yesterday because I found one at a good price with a couple of games. Is it addictive? Yes. Will I overcome it's power to prevent sleep? Maybe eventually, but last night I was playing it till 4am. Just as well I didn't have to work or anything today. When the new house happens, there are a couple of things that are mandatory. A Playstation being one of them and a BBQ. One down, one to go.
The Storey Bridge Hotel is a bit of a grab a granny fest. Infact, I would say it gives the Victory a run for it's money. When we got there on sunday, it was pretty much invaded by footy fans that had come from the Gabba. The bars audio system there was a bit lacking, cause the only way you knew what song was playing was by looking at the video clip. Sometines it was probably a good thing that you couldn't hear what was on due to the naff top 40 selection.
Anyway, all this blogging is keping me from more entertaining stuff....... what car should I take on the N'ring now?

Manga Mutilation

2005-08-02T22:28:00.000+09:30

Today was my second day of baby sitting movies at Southbank for the Film Festival. Kicking it off today was a movie hailed as a pioneering Manga production, called Akira. As we know most animations these days are computer generated, not that that's a bad thing becuase some of them are just incredible, but Akira was old school, drawn and painted cell animation. Nothing new about that style of animation, but Manga brought more than funny bunnies and other cute talking animals to the screen. More science fiction, more violence, more blood, very bizarre story concepts, more violence and lots more blood topped of with some animae nudity and violence towards women. Don't be fooled into thinking that our little Japanese friends are all shy and propper and have sex in conventional ways, because to write and storyboard a movie like this must require one fucked up mind and a healthy cocktail of substances. A disregard of public moral boundaries also helps. This movie was created in 1988, and watching it today, it may as well been made last year, because the attention to detail is incredible. There was a school group watching, and I was wondering if the teacher knew what they were in for. I'm probably making it sound more full on than it really is, but the graphic detail in which a motorcycle gang member gets blasted by five cops to the point where his head explodes and turns to mush is pretty shocking, and a girl getting a beating till her face is all bloody and swollen is also a little disturbing, but why stop at the beating.... lets rip her shirt off and make her run for her life with her little titties out.
If there is one thing that has been highlighted to me, it's that we (in Austrlaia) live a very sheltered and sanitised life. This sort of production would never be acceptable in mainstream society if it were to be created here, I mean, someone saying "fuck" at the logies puts Today Tonight into a frenzy, and the amount of politically incorrect things contained within it would make it the target of animal/womens/gay/any other support or protest group you could think of.
I really liked it.

Cats Piss

2005-07-29T20:17:00.000+09:30

When looking for a house, we have a few criteria that must be met. Some more demanding than others. Kurt needs space for Alfie, and somewhere to put the car, out of weather and nasty stuff. Me, I just don't want it to smell like cat piss. The hosue that we had a look at today failed the cat piss requirement. What was even more disturbing was the notable lack of cats. Who's piss was it? Does it even belong to a cat, or are the filthy inhabitants currently residing at that particular property just really fucking grubby? If I had to put money down, I'd be betting on the latter. Excuse me for thinking that girls are generally more tidy and anal about cleanliness than us mere males, but today proved that that isn't always the case.
We walked back to West End after leaving the house at Kelvin Grove, and stopped at the Normanby. Beer was needed, beer was got. They have Asahi on tap, and before 3pm, it's only 4 bucks. Nice. we stayed for a couple, spoke a lot of shit and then continued on our way.
Lifecycle is just across the road, and after just stopping in for a "look", Kurt walks out with a new pair of shoes and pedals for his bike. He might actually start to look like he knows what he's doing. The Epic is a few week off still, but I think he'll do fine.
Tomorrow night, Koala, Cameron and Tig are going out for a boozy dinner at Char Cha Chas. This was meant to be a night for all of us, but did anyone ask if that night was good for me???? Nooooo. I gotta work, and Koala booked it without seeing if I was able to make it. After all, I DID ALL THE WORK last year, manually renaming all 1677 images..... why would I want to come? It's just a dinner, but it shits me that the one person that does all the hard work, is the last person to be thought of when it's time to reward ourselves.
I've been made to feel insignificant.

Chronicles of the Porkrind

2005-07-24T18:09:00.000+09:30

Saturday was a good day. I got up pretty late, but in time to get ready for lunch. I was doing lunch with a group from the Adventure Traveller, at Eve's on the River near the woolsheds. My first drink for the day was a beer. People rocked up slowly, some that I hadn't seen for a whole year, so I was good to be able to have a chat and catch up on any goss. I made a new friend in Pat, a Brazilian girl who moved over here 8 years ago. She has a problem with beauty salons that do "Brazilians". Apparently removing everything, and calling it a Brazilian is not really a Brazilian. Anyway, Pat is a photographer, so we hit it off pretty good. We spoke a lot of crap, bitched about rock star photographers that think they're all that, and various other world issues that needed solving, like the ozone layer and developing white bikinis that aren't see through when they get wet...... why I'd want to fix that problem I'm still not sure of. We were pretty pissed by mid afternoon. Pat has her own dark room and does lots of black&white processing, something that I haven't done much of so she is going to teach me. I'm going to Bali next month with a group led by Tuckie and William, but I'm gonna stay on after everyone leaves and do a trip around and shoot Bali images. Pat thought that was a great idea, and if she goes, I'll have a travelling companion. Pat is married, so I'm not looking for any naughty schananigans.
After lunch finished at 1900, I jumped in a cab and headded for the Alley. Got there, bought a burger and chips, it was bad, but so good at the same time. Maybe lunch was a bit small or maybe it just soaked up the alcohol but I felt half human after getting it into me. The boys were setting up and doing a bit of a sound check, so I got another beer.
Sound check done, time for pool. I played particularly bad, and I blame it on the condition of the pitch. I don't think the table was very level. Regardless, I still beat Kurt.... dude you suck.
In a show of support, people that we know appeared. Mo, Benny, One Hung, Benny's wife and random unnamed friend, Ads & Anna, Chris & Mooch.... some would say they had a fan club. Few more games of pool, and the boys took to the stage. Song one, and Ross's eBow thingy doesn't work, or there was some sort of tech malfunction. Everyone keeps playing, all is good. Song by song, the PA gets progressively louder, and everyone in the audience was getting into it. Everyone was pretty impressed. Moochie didn't even realize that all the songs were originals. She just thought they were really good covers of songs she hadn't heard.....Blonde.
I got myself a new battery for my lappie. Some would say the improvement over the old one is significant.
I'm staying up to watch bikes tonight.... motorbikes. I'm predicting a Bayliss podium.

F!#%KING FROG

2005-07-22T23:45:00.000+09:30

There's something theraputic about beating the crap out of that bloody frog.

Datsun & Peppe

2005-07-21T08:19:00.000+09:30

If there's one thing I'm learning from last week, it's don't leave pet in the care of women if you go away for a while. Flynnie is in Joberg at the moment, then headding to KL. Bird, Lucy, Edith, Baby Hewey and Datsun are all now in the care of LK and Rachel. Two competent women volunteered to look after the kids, but I think it was more so they could lounge out and watch Fox. After just one day I get a call from LK, too scared to call Flynnie, and asks how many birds there is meant to be. Three I tell her, and a long pause............... "I can only find two." I called Koala to to see if he can go over and check the situation out, because they are known to go for a little wander around the yard. He finds nothing, and tells me it's Datsun thats missing. Datsun is also known as the Terminator, because of how his iris opens and closes when he's looking at you. Daddo didn't really like people either, except for Flynnie and me, everyone else gets bitten. I went round with Kurty the next day to conduct my own search. We found nothing. Hopefully he'll be found by a neighbour and will be returned, we hope. Datsun, if you are reading this, go home right now!
Peppe got a good strap both Saturday night and on Sunday. Peppe is a car. On Sunday, myself, the Koala and Kurt went to Toowoomba for lunch. We went to a place called the Wies Restaurant. This is totally related to the ice cream because it's the same family that ran the resaurant, that started to ice cream company. We went up with no booking and they were pretty full. But we got a table in the bar area, with was so much better than sitting at a regular table. Oh, one more lesson that was learnt that must be passed on..... when at a buffet, DON'T EAT THE BREAD! You can get that at home, and it totally restricts your capacity to put away good food. Words of wisdom from Koala's mother, pass it on.
After finishing lunch, we checked out parts of the epic route. More specifically the start and a little run through the middle. Everything else doesn't really have vehicle access. Tod had been out to mark up the course, so we spotted a few of the red course markers. That would be a pain in the arse job, so I hope people appreciate it as they pass them and don't get lost.
After dropping Koala at home, we went for coffee. I gave Peppe a good boot in the bum, so Kurt could feel what you get when you spend 200K on a car. It's fun, and I really want one. I'm just happy that Flynnie lets me drive his.

Wine & work

2005-07-13T21:15:00.000+09:30

Last night I worked at the Telstra Small Business Awards night at the old Sheraton, now the Sofitel. It was a bit of a boring night from my point of view, but everyone there seemed to have a good time. Ann Fulward was the MC, and she was actually really friendly. After the all teh tech stuff was over, we normally just wait til the night is over and then pack out. Ruth, our client was more keen the have some drinking partners, so I thought it was only fair that I didn't let her drink on her own. Her off sider was a bit cute too, so that may have had something to do with it. Anyway, a bottle of red and no dinner meant that I was just a bit wobbly and there was still a 3 hour pack out to go. I also had quite a random conversation with another drunk dude, a patron and one of the award winners, and he was so impressed with the lights and how they, "do that cool moving stuff." I don't think he really knew how to describe what he was thinking, but I knew what he wanted to say. It's nice to get good feedback back from total strangers, because that is who we were putting the show on for in the first place.
I rode a bus again today. I was very tired, and missed my stop cause I fell asleep. That sucked.

The wheels on the bus....

2005-07-07T22:56:00.000+09:30

What is it about busses. More to the point, people on busses. Why does everyone look like they're in serious need of Zoloft? I haven't been on a bus in a very long time, but I used one today and the atmosphere on it was totally depressing. I had my iPod on and was kinda rocking out to myself, with some light air drumming. Apart from those with their head in a book, everyone else had a glazed look on their face. Staring at the little red stop button seemed quite popular. I quess that riding the bus everyday isn't an exciting event, but surely if you knew you were going to be doing it every day, you'd find some sort of activity that kept you happy and occupied. Maybe I'm just reading into it a bit too much.

G'day WA

2005-07-06T22:42:00.000+09:30

I hate it when people come to you with last minute jobs that have to be completed by the next working day, and if it's not, someone's head is on the chopping block. That happened today, where a video had to be filmed, edited, put to DVD and also, I had to do eight slightly different variations of it. If it wasn't for the fact that this one turned out so damn funny, I would have really not enjoyed the day because of the pressure that was put on me to get it done. It involved Flynnie, Madame Joelline, scooters, mystical disco balls and Haydon dessed up as a 'Skankanavian" chick. It was all a bit silly, and I'm so glad for that. It made me laugh more than I have in a long while.
Tonight I was the only New South Welshy in the house watching the State of Origin. That also made me by default the most hated. Last year I had LK there to back me up, but not tonight. By half time I had the gloat going, but oddly enough I'm not actually a Lague fan. I guess like every one else, when it's Origin time we find it from deep within to support our state, no matter how stupid the game is. Being raised in QLD though does make harder to support my state of birth. Flynnie recons in that case, it's where you had your first root that is the deciding factor. That was in Canberra, so doesn't help the cause at all.

Cute puppies

2005-07-05T22:27:00.000+09:30

I've volunteered to take Fylnnies puppies to the vet for their second round of shots. Apparently the vets assistant is a bit hot. An appalling use of puppies i know, but i'm their unkle and it's my duty. Koala took them yesterday because Flynnie wasn't back from the UK yet, and as she was crouching down to check them out, he checked her out.... dirty bastard.

How cold does it have to get?

2005-07-04T01:05:00.000+09:30

I'm not sure if it is because i'm totally lazy, or if i'm just trying to be tough, or even if i think it actually helps me sleep better, but i'm still only using a sheet for a blanket at night. I woke up this morning freezing and indulged the thought of getting out a quilt. But that would involve a quilt cover and puting the quilt cover on the quilt, and not to mention where the hell is my quilt (or doonah to be more Oz). It all seemed a bit too hard, so I popped my iPod on and ignored the urge for extra warmth.

Princess Mary

2005-07-03T23:40:00.000+09:30

I was discussing with Kurt the likeliness os Sam having a clit ring, when I wondered what is it actually called? I know for blokes it's a Prince Albert, but what about for girls. Not a highly intellectual conversation I know, but after a relatively boring day at work, and still recovering from days just past, it's all our meagre brains could handle. Anyway, he thinks she has, and I don't believe she would.... will we ever find out??? Also, I think I dubbed it a Princess Mary, in honor of our new Sando royal.

somewhere to vent

2005-07-02T17:18:00.000+09:30

I just realised something useful for this whole thing, apart from enlightening people with my dynamic insights. I can vent anger, about anyone and as much as iI like til I feel moderately satisfied.
Yesterday was a cunt of a day. It started at 0500 to get ready for work. The gas was out. Cold shower! I could of gone out to fire up the pilot light, but it would still be cold for a few hours while heating up. Then worked through till about 1500. That wasn't actually all that bad, except for one client who was a total arse. They kept changing their mind on what they wanted a room for a function to look like, then changed it back, and back again. This gave me the perfect opportunity to practice biting my lip, and not tell people where they can stick their half assed ideas. I got out of there eventually, and had a 3 hour break before having to start again. There is a new guy at work, and as nice a fella as he is, he does a great job of fucking things up. Like crew rostering. When someone (meaning, I) has just finished a shift of over 9 hours, what better thing to do than put me on another one 3 hours later that is going to be 10 hours at least. Lets do the maths kids. Lets make someone work aprox 22 hours where the final stage is driving almost 150Km, fatigued, tired, wired up on caffine, moderately dillusional, now hating every person that says "how you travelling? Are you gonna be ok?" when they don't really give a shit, or else they wouldn't put you in that position to start with. One more thing, I offered to drive to this gig when i thought it was only me I was driving. But then I had to pick up others, adding 1 hour to the time I get out of bed, and 1 hour to the time I eventually get home. And then they have the nerve to tell me that I can only put 10 fucking bucks of fuel in my car on the company fuel card. HELLO.... I have just saveed them $300 by not having to hire a car or 2 vans, and this is how i'm treated for my generosity. Well I didn't use the stupid fuel card, I'd rather use my own money, and maintain the thought that they are total cunts..... I'm starting to feel better.
If one good thing came out of the day, during the break between jobs, I met up with friends who were having a lunch/piss up. Who would of thought that by just showing up to a lunch I would end up pashing a female friend, and feeling the ass of a chick that is totally hot, just to confirm that she was actually wearing underpants. Her idea, not mine.... not that i was going to complain about it. Just one of the great things about turning up to a party late, everyone is already half cut, and playing silly games.

Welcome World!

2005-06-30T22:27:00.000+09:30

I should really be getting to bed right now, but after reading a friends blog (i actually had no idea what the hell a Blog was), a sudden urge to create my own overcame me. Unfortunately for anyone actually reading this, my sleep deprived brain doesn't really have that much to say. Worked way too many hours yesterday, haven't really caught up on sleep, and tomorrow morning will be starting what will end up a 20 hour day. Yay!
Missed out on a house to rent with Anger Man, probably to some stupid couple with a cat.
I'll find pictures and shit to post at a later date.
I love Prados!